Dreamweaver - assistance needed updating html email templates created in Dreamweaver MX2004

Report · Dec 13, 2024

Hi, I’m looking for some assistance in updating email templates I created using Dreamweaver MX2004. I would ideally like to create new templates with Arial 10 font and simple tables.

Report · Dec 13, 2024

What is it that you want assistance with? Please be more specific.

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Report · Dec 13, 2024

I want to create (i) a simple email template with Arial 10 text and (ii) another template with Arial 10 text and fixed width table, with variable numbers of columns. The text needs to wrap in the table rows, without changing column widths.

Report · Dec 13, 2024

This is what I use:

https://bootstrapemail.com/

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Report · Dec 13, 2024

Does https://bootstrapemail.com/ have a deisgn interface, or do you need coding knowledge? My html code knowledge is only very basic

Report · Dec 13, 2024

1. Dreamweaver is web authoring software, not email software.

2. Many devices, particularly mobile phones & tablets, don't have Arial fonts installed.

Ideally, you should express fonts with web-safe font-families that include the most common fonts for Win/Mac & mobile— iPhones, iPads, Androids, etc...

3. The default font-size used by most email clients is 16px or 1em. 10px fonts are too tiny to read on digital devices, DO NOT USE.

Your embedded CSS should resemble this:

<style="font-family: arial, helvetica, 'open sans', roboto, 'source sans pro', sans-serif"; font-size:0.85em;">

Mobile-friendly Email Templates from MailChimp (free & paid plans available)

https://mailchimp.com/solutions/digital-marketing-templates/

Hope that helps.

Nancy O'Shea— Product User, Community Expert & Moderator

Report · Dec 14, 2024

Thank you Nancy. I use Dreamwaver as I find the 'Find and Replace' function really, really useful. I've got over 300 email templates and often need to batch update certian elements of text or URLs. I haven't come across this functionality in any other software!

Report · Dec 14, 2024

What are you sending your emails out of? While DW was used in the past to help code emails and may still be used for some testing., it's often better to build them in your ESP/MAP of choice. If you needed help moving emails into a platform like that I've done that with clients in the past, or updating to newer ones using a bunch of different platforms. But simple tables and basic Arial fonts are probably not going to be appealing to others who are using more responsive and modern templates.

Report · Dec 15, 2024

Hi Ben, the templates are used for individual emails sent using Outlook. We don't send any batch marketing emails. I think I may have found a workaround! I did a ChatGPT search to generate code for a new email template. I then copied this into a new Dreamweaver html document and am now able to edit in Design mode to create the new templates I need.

Report · Dec 15, 2024

I did a ChatGPT search for a new email template.
By @realistic_athlete16E5

============

🤦‍:female_sign:

Nancy O'Shea— Product User, Community Expert & Moderator

Report · Dec 15, 2024

Oh goodness, you've got me panicking now! I only needed some very basic code and thought it would be OK to copy, paste and update as per the example below. I really want to troubleshoot any potential issues before I update our batch of templates.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<style>
/* General Styles */
body {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
background-color: #f4f4f4;
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
color: #333333;
}
table {
border-spacing: 0;
width: 100%;
max-width: 600px;
margin: 10px auto;
background-color: #ffffff;
border: 1px solid #dddddd;
}
td {
padding: 5px;
text-align: left;
vertical-align: top;
}
p {
margin: 10px 0;
line-height: 1.5;
}

/* Table Styles */
table.inner-table {
width: 100%;
border-collapse: collapse;
margin: 10px 0;
}
table.inner-table td, table.inner-table th {
border: 1px solid #cccccc;
padding: 10px;
text-align: left;
}
.table-header {
background-color: #f4f4f4;
font-weight: bold;
}

/* Responsive Design */
@Media (max-width: 600px) {
table {
width: 100%;
}
td {
padding: 10px;
}
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Dear ,</p>
<p>Please review and update the table below:</p>
<table class="inner-table">
<tr class="table-header">
<th width="186">Column 1</th>
<th>Column 2</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="186">Question 1</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Question 2</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Question 3</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Question 4</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>Should you have any questions in respect of the above, please do not hesitate to contact me on my DDI number below.</p>
<p>Kind regards,</p>
</body>
</html>

Report · Dec 16, 2024

Read this:

https://github.com/leemunroe/responsive-html-email-template?tab=readme-ov-file

"Inline your CSS before sending

Email is notorious for inconsistent CSS support. Therefore, you should always inline your CSS and send a test to yourself before sending."

Also test in all major email clients -- Outlook, Apple mail, Windows mail, Yahoo, Gmail, etc...

Nancy O'Shea— Product User, Community Expert & Moderator

Report · Dec 16, 2024

Send an email with a button that takes users to an online form for completion.

Data can then be gathered, sanitized and processed by your website's server.

Email is not secure for gathering information.

Nancy O'Shea— Product User, Community Expert & Moderator

Report · Dec 16, 2024

You really shouldn't be sending out HTML emails from Outlook. And based on your sample HTML, this is a personal email that should just be coming from a rep and could be from Outlook. While it seems good as as idea, if I hit reply, I may or may not use your table to fill in the answers and may just put them in the body of my reply. If you need to collect data in pre-defined formats, then you should ask the user to complete a basic form with the requested information. Otherwise, I would just ask them to include their answers in their reply and leave it to the user to provide the necessary data and then for your recipient to interpret it and store the data in the CRM.

Report · Dec 17, 2024

Thank you to everyone for your responses, they are much appreciated and have changed my initial plans